Neighbors with Nature

While they make up only 3% of Teton County, our private lands shape our quality of life, as they are where we live, work, and spend most of our days. Our private lands are also disproportionally important for wildlife as they contain some of the valley’s best winter ranges. We have a responsibility to ensure the rules we write for our private lands protect the wildlife, wild places, and community character of this special place while respecting private property rights.

But right now our land use rules allow too much development in rural Teton County without adequate protections for wildlife, while discouraging thoughtful growth in Town and other walkable neighborhoods. This results in fragmented and degraded wildlife habitat, conversion of open space and working agricultural lands into second homes, polluted rivers and creeks, costly infrastructure expansions, and increased traffic congestion. At the same time, we have not yet made the investments or implemented the policy tools necessary to preserve the critical wildlife habitat and open spaces that define our valley.

Founded in 1979 as the Alliance for Responsible Planning, the Alliance has profoundly influenced the way that Jackson Hole has developed. With the adoption of the Jackson / Teton County Comprehensive Plan in 2012 our community has a foundation from which to craft and enforce land use rules that encourage walkable neighborhoods surrounded by protected open space, working agricultural lands, and connected wildlife habitat.

The Neighbors with Nature campaign supports the crafting and enforcing of land use rules that encourage walkable neighborhoods surrounded by protected open space, working agricultural lands, and connected wildlife habitat.